Anthony Hopkins slammed after dismissing neurodivergent labels as 'nonsense'

Sir Anthony Hopkins has come under fire from mental health and neurodiversity charities after dismissing conditions such as ADHD, OCD and Asperger’s as 'nonsense'.

The 86-year-old Welsh actor made the comments in an interview with The Sunday Times where he said he believed society was overusing medical labels to describe normal aspects of human behaviour.

“Well, I guess I'm cynical because it's all nonsense, it's all rubbish — ADHD, OCD, Asperger’s, blah, blah, blah,” he said. “Oh God, it's called living, it's just being a human being, full of tangled webs and mysteries and stuff that's in us, full of warts and grime and craziness. It’s the human condition. All these labels — I mean, who cares? But now it’s fashion."

Ironically, Hopkins' wife, Stella Arroyave, believes the actor is autistic.

"I’m obsessed with numbers. I’m obsessed with detail," Hopkins told The Sunday Times. "I like everything in order. And memorising. Stella looked it up and she said, ‘You must be Asperger’s.’ I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. I don’t even believe it."

ADHD and autism charities reacted angrily to his remarks, which they said risk perpetuating stigma and misunderstanding around genuine neurological conditions.

A spokesperson for the ADHD Foundation told The Standard in a statement: “While Sir Anthony is entitled to his views, dismissing ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions as ‘fashionable’ is deeply unhelpful. These are lifelong differences in brain wiring, not trends. Comments like these can discourage people from seeking support or diagnosis.”

A spokesperson for the ADHD Foundation added the star’s remarks were ‘deeply unhelpful’

While autism charity Ambitious About Autism also urged caution, telling the Standard that Asperger’s syndrome — one of the conditions Hopkins mentioned — is no longer used as a diagnostic term, having been incorporated under the broader umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The change followed both clinical evidence showing overlap between the two and the discovery of Hans Asperger’s links to Nazi-era eugenics programmes.

Hopkins, who has previously suggested he may himself be neurodivergent, has spoken about feeling “angry for no reason” and “putting on a mask every morning”. He has said he was encouraged to see a psychiatrist but remains sceptical about formal diagnoses.

The Silence of the Lambs star has revealed past struggles with alcohol and described how his drinking once spiralled out of control in California, leading him to seek help through Alcoholics Anonymous and a 12-step programme in Los Angeles.

Hopkins last year marked 50 years of sobriety, sharing a heartfelt message with his 5.3 million Instagram followers urging others to seek help if they need it.